DVD review (region 2)
Starring the voices of Drew Aaron, Eileen Stevens and Vibe Jones
Release date 4 February 2008

It’s been two decades since Keiichi accidentally dialled heaven, prompting the arrival of the divine Belldandy into our lives and ADV are kicking off their release of the second anime series, catchily renamed Flights of Fancy, mere months after MVM finished releasing the first…

Following on from the first series, Flights of Fancy features the same stunning artwork and catchy music and even the same English language cast as the previous series; quite a feat given the change in American and English publishers.

After the events of the Lord of Terror arc, things have been left in a bit of a mess and Heaven is still trying to recover all the data lost during the skirmish. This, of course, causes havoc for Bell and Keiichi when it’s revealed that their contract was one of the pieces of data which vanished from the heavenly computer Yggdrasil. Keiichi has to spend an entire episode struggling to remember precisely what he said to Belldandy.

Top notch artwork really makes this a special series and while some aspects of the series could be classed as predictable, how often do you see a goddess playing the bagpipes? The entire DVD is filled with heart-warming moments making it the perfect continuation for fans. The dulcet tones of Kikuko Inoue, Yumi Tooma and Aya Hisakawa, old hands who seem to have spent their entire careers voicing the divine trio, remain one of the bigger pull points for the series along with idol Yoko Ishida’s upbeat opening and ending themes.

Even those who have never been encountered by this divine love story will instantly be captivated. Lesley Smith

VERDICT: 7 /10
Gorgeous artwork, amazing music and lovable characters in this a fantastic start to a new series of divine adventures.